Motivated by the current (2011) political climate in Wisconsin it seems reasonable to devote some time and effort to comment on issues and some of the hyperbole. So we in the public should do what we can to help focus "journalists" on delineating real facts versus spin. If you accept the spin you do not understand the policy implications.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

In the spring of 1998, The New York Times uncovered an eight-page "action plan" (PDF file) detailing plans by parties within the American energy industry to derail the Kyoto Protocol. At the time, then-President Bill Clinton and his deputies were pushing to get the United States, the top generator of heat-trapping atmospheric pollution, to ratify the landmark treaty. Citing concern about the economic costs of meeting Kyoto's required greenhouse gas reductions, representatives from Exxon, Chevron, a key oil industry trade group called the American Petroleum Institute, major electricity generator Southern Company and several conservative think tanks developed the memo.

...ExxonMobil was one of the last holdouts and as recently as 2005 gave large grants to various organizations mentioned in the memo. According to the UCS Report, $241,500 went to the American Legislative Exchange Council (AELC), which works to fight state and local initiatives to combat global warming. Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) got $270,000.